Quick-start guide procedures not working in Inkscape

I am new to Inkscape so I have attempted to follow the Quick-start guide and the Swedish Flag tutorial 5 times. I am computer savvy and I have followed instructions exactly as written, however when selecting the Square tool, and trying to create a square, nothing happens. I will get a transparent border (like that of a cropping tool) and nothing else. No fill, no object, nothing. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but there appears to be a glitch with my Square tool. I can't move forward in the tutorial because the square doesn't exist, no matter how many times I draw it.